A Short Screenplay Called Sin

Agent Joseph Wallace battles against his past to arrest a serial killing menace.

Submitted:Sep 21, 2012
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"SIN"

FADE IN

INT. UNDERGROUND ROOM - 00 : 00 : 00

Close up of DAVID, a young lawyer who has several fresh wounds
across his face. His eyes open suddenly and the camera pulls away
to reveal a tarnished metal collar around his throat. A coil
leads from the collar to offscreen somewhere. The background is
bleak, cavernous, and wet. DAVID is wearing clothes soaked where
they touched the ground and dirty from being dragged somewhere.
As the camera backs up further, DAVID lets out a scream and claws
at the device around his neck. We can now see that the coil leads
to a mechanism on the wall. In addition, a second person is
collared and attached to the machine. This is ADAM, another young
businessman-type whose eyes are now opening groggily.

ADAM

Wh-what the heck is...

ADAM weakly attempts to claw the collar off, getting more alert
by the second. DAVID feels the coil on the collar and gives it a
hard yank. This causes ADAM to be pulled towards the mechanism on
the wall.

ADAM

(panicking)

What is this!? What did you do to me!?

DAVID

(angry and scared)

What are you talking about!? I didn't do anything!! Get me out of
here!!!

DAVID feels the collar and finds an archaic keyhole. He looks up
and we notice, for the first time, a key suspended in the air by
a thin wire. ADAM also sees this, but DAVID has already lunged
for it. This sends ADAM careening into the wall. In response,
ADAM moves forward and forces DAVID back, succeeding slowly and
with some difficulty. Suddenly, a VOICE rings out.

VOICE

Hello, David. Hello, Adam. You're both here because you've been
found guilty in the eyes of God. You share a common link. You
each care only for yourself, and you will destroy anyone you must
to reach the top.You've betrayed the trust of others, and even
violated the sacred contracts of your marriages. Your greed and
vanity will be put on trial today. If you can atone for your
sins, you are free to escape, but, if you fail to repent, this
place will be your grave. You have sixty seconds before the
collars around you close and you suffocate. I urge you not to
follow your first instinct, because that is the very reason you
are here in the first place.

A timer lights up on the wall with sixty seconds displayed. Below
it is a rustic steel door. The two men continue struggling
against each other. ADAM is coming closer to the key, and DAVID
is being pulled farther.

DAVID

(struggling)

I don't want to die!

ADAM

(exhausted, condescending)

Nobody does, idiot!

ADAM lunges forwards suddenly, yanking DAVID back and towards the
other man's coil. DAVID latches onto ADAM'S rope and pulls his
enemy back with him. Then, DAVID gets up and starts pulling
himself to the key with all his might. ADAM is still on the
ground, the force of David's movements preventing him from
regaining his footing.

DAVID

(exhausted)

Game over.

DAVID reaches out and manages to snatch the key between his
fingers. The clock is still ticking down. DAVID, exhausted,
unlocks the collar and lets it fall to the side. Moments later,
the timer reaches zero and ADAM claws at his neck. The collar
tightens until there is a sickening SNAP. ADAM stops moving, save
a few convulsive postmortem twitches.

DAVID

You lose.

DAVID slowly approaches the exit door. There are two buttons- one
on either side of the door. The width of the door prevents DAVID
from reaching either one while pressing the other.

DAVID

What- what the heck is this!?

DAVID presses the left button several times, trying the door
handle with his free hand. He anxiously rushes over to the other
button and tries it as well, to no avail. The VOICE begins again.

VOICE

I assume only one of you is left alive now. If that is so, you've
failed. You are unable to escape this room without help. If you
had selflessly rescued the other man, you'd both have walked out
alive. Instead, you chose the route that led to your own survival
with no compassion or empathy towards the other prisoner. You did
not reach any type of atonement. A wise woman once told me that
death cures all ills. That is why I am now filling the room with
carbon monoxide gas. You have very little time left to live. If
you have any confessions, make them now.

The VOICE is silent. DAVID is racing around the room desperately,
feeling for any exit.

DAVID suddenly falls over into the wall and slides down onto the
ground.

INT. VIEWING ROOM - 00 : 03 : 07

MICHELLE is in a room with a large window looking into the
underground torture chamber. The two corpses lie below, now mere
piles of decomposable matter. Behind MICHELLE is a chair with
opened restraints. She is holding a tape recorder in her hand.
She presses play.

VOICE

Hello, Michelle. The two men you see below both committed
terrible sins, as I'm sure you're well aware. The burden you
carry for allowing your friends to aid in the defiling of these
men's marriages is, I am sure, a terrible one. However, envy and
self-loathing are sins. You must learn to understand the
distinction between crime and accident if you ever hope to face
your judgment...

MICHELLE rubs her reddened wrists tenderly and looks out onto the
chamber.

MICHELLE

(softly)

Did I drag them into this? Is it my fault they're- no... this is
what he wants me to think, isn't it? I won't give him the
pleasure...

MICHELLE turns and leaves through an opened steel door. The door
closes behind her with a SLAM.

EXT. 15054 CAREY LN. - LATE NOON

Agent WALLACE, a young bespectacled man, strolls puposefully up
to Detective HALEY, a golden-haired woman wearing a police
uniform. Around the house are a few police cars and a van with an
officer inside of it.

HALEY

What's the FBI doing here? This case belongs to Missing Persons.

WALLACE

Your guy's M.O. matches an open case of ours- some psychopath who
kidnaps people and makes them play sick games. He's got victims
all over the country.

HALEY

He sounds like the guy from those scary movies my son loves so
much. I don't remember their names, but the main character had
some sick obsession with murder.

WALLACE looks down at his notepad.

WALLACE

He's a close ringer, but this guy is some kind of religious nut
or something- testing people like he's God on judgment day.

HALEY

And you think your guy kidnapped this girl?

WALLACE

Witnesses say they saw a hearse in the area just before the
kidnapping allegedly occurred. Our guy likes to shove his victims
in coffins and drive them away like they're about to face God.

HALEY

Hmph, how symbollic...

HALEY looks back at the house behind her.

HALEY(CONT'D)

All right, fine. I'll send you the case files, but you had better
get this creep of the streets, Joe. You'll call if you need
anything?

WALLACE nods.

WALLACE

She in there?

HALEY nods slightly towards the house in response.

HALEY

She's been through a lot. Take it easy on her, okay?

WALLACE shrugs and walks toward the house.

WALLACE

You always were the one who knew how to talk to the victims.

INT. 15054 CAREY LN. - LATE NOON

Detective COPAN, a young officer in uniform, is standing in the
living room with MRS. GRAYSON, an aging and stressed woman with a
cigarette in her hand. The phone near them is hooked up to
several machines, and other officers are carefully observing
them. A photograph of MICHELLE is clearly visible.

COPAN

If he calls, we'll be able to trace the phone to a general area.
Then, we'll find where he's hiding and-

Agent WALLACE enters.

COPAN

Who are you?

Agent WALLACE flashes his ID badge.

WALLACE

Agent Wallace, FBI. This is our case, now.

COPAN

Not without my boss's say-so, it's not.

WALLACE

I already have that- go ask her yourself.

Detective COPAN sighs and shakes his head.

COPAN

Whatever. Just stay back and let me do my job. The victim's name
is Michelle Grayson. She's a paramedic. Reports say she was
walking home from work when she was abducted. The mother was the
last person she talked to.

WALLACE

And you're monitoring the phones?

COPAN

Yeah, we think this is a ransom kidnap. Mrs. Grayson here
inherited a lot of money from a deceased relative.

Nice to hear from you again, Agent Wallace. I was worried I'd
given you the slip in Boston.

WALLACE

Where's the girl?

VOICE

Michelle? She's a little preoccupied at the moment. It's me
you're after, though, right? I'll give you a hint- if you're
looking for me, you might want to start where we first met.

The line CLICKS and a DIAL TONE is heard.

OFFICER

Not long enough- sorry.

COPAN

Did that mean anything to you- what he just said?

WALLACE is still for a moment, but then he shrugs.

WALLACE

Absolutely nothing.

INT. Underground Room - 00 : 09 : 23

As the scene opens, MICHELLE approaches another steel door. There
is a knife fitted into the handle. She carefully removes it and
opens the door. The room she's in is large and bleak. There is a
door on the opposite end of the room, and, in the center, ALEX is
suspended over a pit with a rope around his neck, his feet
planted loosely on a steadily retracting platform.

ALEX

Help me!! Help me!!

MICHELLE races over to the screaming man.

ALEX

What- who are you!? Get away from me!!

As MICHELLE attempts to slice the rope, ALEX resists. He shoves
MICHELLE away the best he can and lashes out at her with his
fists.

ALEX

Don't you dare touch me!!

MICHELLE

Are you crazy!? Do you want to die!?

ALEX tightly shuts his eyes and feels the rope around him.
MICHELLE again tries to sever the ropes and succeeds. As she
pulls him away from the pit, the platform fully retracts into the
stony surface, leaving the rope dangling over a gaping chasm.

MICHELLE

Are- are you-

ALEX suddenly turns and attacks MICHELLE! He yanks her up and
tries to shove her backwards off the pit. MICHELLE struggles to
fight him off, but ultimately starts falling backwards. At the
last second possible, she summons her strength and ducks down as
the momentum carries ALEX into the waiting embrace of Death.

MICHELLE

(shocked)

I... I don't...

She rises and stumbles away from the no-longer-empty hole, dazed
and shocked. Her breathing speeds up and she wipes her hands on
her shirt, cleansing herself of unseen sin. The VOICE rings out
through the cavern.

VOICE

Michelle, the man you see before you was a drug addict with a
violent temper. Knowing you, that does not lessen the extreme
guilt you feel at having killed him. This was his test, Michelle.
Take a look at the recorder to your right.

Sure enough, MICHELLE turns and notices a tape recorder. She
picks it up shakily and presses play.

VOICE

Hello, Alex. In a moment, the person responsible for your
current... situation... will attempt to rescue you. If you make
the wrong choice, this game will end with you at the bottom of
that pit. That will be your true test. In order to survive, I
implore you to repent and atone for the sins you have committed.

The tape ends. MICHELLE looks back at the abyss and then up at
the ceiling.

VOICE

I intentionally lied- I set up a scenario to test his affinity
for violence to see if he was capable of change. That is the key
to my tests. All people are responsible for their actions and
theirs alone. Do not hold yourself accountable for the sufferring
of others.

There is silence. MICHELLE looks around before heading towards
the door without another glance behind her. Tears involuntarily
spill down her cheeks.

MICHELLE

(softly)

This guy... whoever he is... he's sick... and he's watching me.

EXT. WAREHOUSE - EARLY EVENING

Agent WALLACE looks up at the warehouse, an abandoned storage
facility. The area appears deserted and the building is in the
shady blanket of darkness due to the time of day. WALLACE steps
towards the door and opens it. Inside, we see a similar yet
distinctly younger version of Agent WALLACE beside Agent GARRETT,
a young woman in an FBI uniform. In the background is a corpse
covered with a decidedly rust-tinted sheet. Other agents move
about dutifully. Sun shines through the windows, implying that
this is an occurrence in the past.

GARRETT

You're going to want to hear this, Wallace.

Agent GARRETT produces a tape recorder identical to the ones from
earlier. She pushes play.

VOICE

Megan, you've valued your body your whole life. This vanity has
cast you into the den of Satan. In order to redeem yourself in
the eyes of the Lord, you must make a choice. In five minutes,
you'll feel the pointed nails underneath you pierce your skin. By
ten, they will have impaled you. You'll notice your left arm is
free. This is so you can take the cauldron of acid and burn the
ropes that bind your arm, legs, and face. Can you sacrafice your
image to save your existence? We'll find out...

The tape ends. The only noise is the hum of machines and the
agents working. Agent GARRETT walks over to the body with Agent
WALLACE close behind.

GARRETT

As you can see, she didn't make it in time. She's been dead a
while- no one even knew about this place, so it was about a week
before she was discovered.

WALLACE

Who does this guy think he is? God?

GARRETT

Probably. I've never seen someone murder so brutally. I thought
it was personal--revenge, greed--but nobody could plan a murder
this twisted and well-thought-out. We're dealing with a
psychopath, and I think he'll strike again, Agent Wallace. We
need to be ready.

Camera closes in on Agent WALLACE before shifting to the present.
WALLACE walks into the warehouse and notices a tape recorder on
the ground by the center of the area. He strides over and picks
it up before playing it.

VOICE

Hello again, Agent Wallace. I've made this nice and easy for you.
I want to meet the man so dedicated to justice that he's chased
me across the country. I'm at the pier close by. You remember it,
don't you? It's where you killed your first criminal. I thought
it would be nice to meet somewhere with some sentimental value.
Hurry up- there's a lot to discuss.

There is silence. WALLACE'S hand strays to the gun at his hip. He
drops the tape recorder and smashes it.

EXT. WAREHOUSE - EARLY EVENING

As Agent WALLACE is leaving, we see Detective HALEY nearby in a
civilian vehicle. She gets out of the car as soon as WALLACE is
out of view.

INT. WAREHOUSE - EARLY EVENING

Detective HALEY steps towards the smashed recording on the
ground. Then, she pulls her phone out of the pocket and enters a
number.

HALEY

Hello? Yes, I need you to tell me everything you can about a
storage warehouse near the pier...

INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGE - 00 : 16 : 17

MICHELLE walks up to another steel door. There is a photo pasted
to this one, dampened by a smear of blood. The face of a smiling
woman is still visible. MICHELLE takes the photo and observes it
carefully before placing it in her pocket.

MICHELLE

Great... what now?

MICHELLE takes it and enters the room. Inside is a large
transient box filled with water. There's a closed tube on the
side touching the granite wall which seems to serve no obvious
purpose. At its far wall is another box, the potential grave of
another victim, NIKKI, who is just now waking up to the
aquamarine landscape. Her voice carries through an opening over
her which seems to reverberate sound well. Near this device is a
control panel with a single button. The word "judgment" is
written on the button.

NIKKI

Who's there!? Let me out!! Let me out right now!!

VOICE

Do you remember the woman in that picture, Michelle? Her name was
Debra. She was killed by the person before you, a thief seeking
sustenance, a leech on society's vein. You feel guilt for letting
Debra die before she could reach a hospital. I will give you both
a chance to atone for your sins. The contraption before you is
designed to pressure each of your wills in a different way. As
soon as this message ends, water will begin to drain into the
smaller box. The control lies with you, Michelle. Press the red
button to activate the device's drain. Once the water is
completely gone, the door will unlock and you will be free. Just
know that an electrical current will run through the floor and
the water as the outer box is being drained. Do you choose to let
her life drain away to avoid your own self-startling
confrontations, or do you overcome your aversion to causing pain
and spread your hurt to another?

The voice is silent, but the WHIRRING of a machine is audiable. A
vent between the boxes opens, allowing water to pour through.
NIKKI, now awake, becomes increasingly more alarmed.

NIKKI

Michelle, if you press that button, I swear to God-

MICHELLE seems oblivious to or intentionally ignorant of NIKKI'S
pleas as she has already stepped up to the control panel. NIKKI'S
line is cut short by a sharp current of electricity. The drain on
the wall opens, slowly but surely, and the water level begins to
trickle downwards at a minuscule yet noticeable pace. NIKKI
screams.

NIKKI

God!! Stop!!

MICHELLE continues to hold the button down. The water is up to
NIKKI'S shins at this point and the outer water level is dropping
more swiftly. It is now nearly half-gone.

NIKKI

Please! Please!!!

MICHELLE'S conscience catches up to her at last and she releases
the button. NIKKI falls against the side, the water, now just
over her kness, climbing her pant leg, unable to catch her
breath.

MICHELLE

(yelling)

You'll die if I don't!

NIKKI

(exhausted)

Let me die, then. I don't care. Just.. don't.. not again...

MICHELLE

(musingly, to herself)

I don't... maybe you deserve to die, though. Is that what he
wants? I guess, considering what you've done... I couldn't care
less.

The drain fully closes. the water seems to sense the aura between
the victims and torrents into the smaller shell at an unnaturally
fast pace. In moments it is up to NIKKI'S waist and showing no
signs of receding. NIKKI grows increasingly anxious and fearful
as her mind digests the decision she's just made. Rather than
calming her heart, she has inadvertantly quickened its metronomic
beat. Sweat forms despite the chilly waters she swims in.

NIKKI

No... no, I want to live! Please! This isn't how I want to die!
I've changed my mind! Michelle!

MICHELLE glances at the button hesitantly but makes no obvious
moves toward it. NIKKI begins to weep as the water nears her
chest.

NIKKI

God, please! I was screwed up back then! I deserve to be punished
for it, but not like this! I'm sorry for what I did! I don't want
to die! I just- I don't want to die! I... I really don't want to
die!

A close shot of the button. The rushing water can still be heard
off screen. MICHELLE'S hand suddenly slams itself into the
awaiting device, again opening the vent. NIKKI screams and
convulses, electricity coursing through her body. The water
drains at a quickened pace, and, after only a few seconds, the
inner box's water level begins decreasing as well, flowing out
from a shallow opening in the bottom. NIKKI'S screams increase in
volume as the level of water draws closer to zero until, finally,
it falls below her waist and MICHELLE releases the button.
MICHELLE then races over to NIKKI's side of the box, feeling
around it for some form of latch or lever. NIKKI is panting, only
halfway-conscious, slumped agint the side. Seeing MICHELLE, she
places her hand on the glass.

NIKKI

Th- thanks...

MICHELLE

You're not free, yet.

MICHELLE pulls from her pocket the hunting knife she had obtained
earlier. She smashes the hilt into the glass repeatedly until,
finally, it cracks and splits apart under the uneven pressure.
NIKKI topples over into MICHELLE'S arms. Supporting the
less-than-conscious figure, MICHELLE pulls NIKKI through the door
and into a dark hallway.

MICHELLE

Hang on. We've got to keep you alive.

EXT. PIER - EVENING

Agent WALLACE appears at the end of the pier. On the other side
is a man in a wheelchair. This is the killer, as well as the
VOICE we've been hearing. Agent WALLACE draws his gun and aims.

WALLACE

Hey!! Hands in the air!

MAN

Hello, Agent Wallace. It's nice to finally see your face.

The MAN spins around and we can see his features in the
moonlight. He is aged, his figures gnarled, with a mustache under
his nose. In his lap is a computer.

MAN

I've been monitoring my latest game on this laptop. Computers.
They're so... convenient, I think. It's almost over, now--there's
nothing interesting going on at the moment, but you should have
been here before... I am Joseph Zane. It's a pleasure to meet
you.

WALLACE

And you're him? You're the serial killer?

JOSEPH

In the flesh.

WALLACE

... I've been chasing you for nearly five years, since you first
came onto my radar. I have no idea how many times you played your
sick games before we found out about you. I'm betting it was
quite a bit.

JOSEPH

It was, indeed. My activities had been going on unnoticed for
about fifteen years, since my wife was killed by a mugger.

WALLACE

It's going to be a pleasure arresting you, then.

JOSEPH

Don't be so hasty, my friend. I'd like to talk to you, first.
There are so many things I have to say... that I think you'd like
to hear.

WALLACE

We can chat in the interrogation rooms.

JOSEPH

Really? With all your friends from the government listening in?
Do you really want them to know about your... dirty little
secret?

Agent WALLACE hesitates and his handgun falls to his side.

WALLACE

I don't know what you're talking about.

JOSEPH

I think you do. It was right here, exactly ten years ago, when
you were still a rookie with the police department. You were
after a rapist of a particularly nasty cloth. You caught up to
him. He had nowhere to run. You fired. He fell into the water and
never washed up. Our connection goes deeper than our first names.
We are both murderers. I can't be sure it was the only time you
killed, either.

WALLACE

That never happened. He attacked me. I thought he had a weapon.

JOSEPH

We both know it's not true. We both know you're lying. You saw
that girl he attacked and you, like I, decided to judge him
guilty yourself, rather than see what the courts did to him.
Isn't that right?

Agent WALLACE is silent. He slips the gun back into the holster.

EXT. WAREHOUSE - EVENING

Detective HALEY is in her car outside the warehouse. Her cell
RINGS.

HALEY

You find something?

Detective COPAN is on the other line.

COPAN

Yes. It seems the warehouse was purchased by a woman named Sara
Zane. The FBI investigation into her revealed that she died
fifteen years ago- some mugging gone wrong. Here's the
interesting part- she purchased another building recently. It's
an abandoned church nearby. I'll text the adress to you and send
backup.

HALEY sighs to herself.

HALEY

I think I know it. Fallen Street, right?

COPAN

Yeah. How do you-

HALEY

That moonster's killing that girl in the church where my foster
parents were murdered...

A brief and pensive silence.

HALEY(CONT'D)

... they're the whole reason I got into this field of work, you
know.

She hangs up the phone, starts her car, and drives of into the
moonlit night.

INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGE - 00 : 34 : 07

MICHELLE and NIKKI approach another door. MICHELLE carefully
supports NIKKI on her shoulder.

NIKKI

Michelle, right? Give me that knife.

MICHELLE

Why? What are you thinking-

NIKKI

That psycho... he abducted me. I remember it so clearly.

Screen fades into a flashback. A decidedly healthier-looking
NIKKI is strolling down a dark street, a tattered jacket over her
shoulders and her hands in her pockets. She exits the alley and
passes JOSEPH, staring out into the night sky.

JOSEPH

The stars certainly are beautiful tonight, aren't they?

NIKKI

Whatever.

NIKKI turns and strolls past JOSEPH. Suddenly, the old man lunges
forwards and jabs a needle with clear liquid into NIKKI'S side.
She pushes him away, but quickly finds herself unable to walk.

JOSEPH

That was ketamine I just injected you with. If you hadn't
struggled, you'd be dreaming by now.

JOSEPH approaches NIKKI and injects the rest of the syringe into
her arm with doctor-like precision. The flashback fades away.

MICHELLE

You okay?

NIKKI clutches the knife in her free hand tightly.

NIKKI

I won't be okay until this nightmare is over. And even then I'll
be the same as I always was- hungry and broke.

MICHELLE

If we survive.

MICHELLE glances at the note on the door. It says, "You're almost
free." She looks beside the door and picks up the gun on the
small table. After letting NIKKI down carefully, she checks the
gun. It is loaded. Under the gun is a tape recorder. MICHELLE
picks it up and plays it.

JOSEPH

Hello, Michelle. One way or another, this is the last time you'll
hear my voice. Death cures all ills. Remember this as you move
forwards. I hope you are ready to face the consequences of your
actions. Let's find out how much you've truly learned about
yourself.

The tape ends. MICHELLE cradles the gun against her chest.

MICHELLE

Ready?

NIKKI

As I'll ever be.

NIKKI staggers past the other girl and opens the door.

EXT. PIER - EVENING

Agent WALLACE and JOSEPH are standing on the pier facing one
another.

WALLACE

So, why did you do it? Why did you kill them?

JOSEPH

Like I told you, my wife was murdered by a mugger looking for a
fix. It started as revenge--I told the mugger I would kill the
only person he had left, his mother, like he killed the only
person I had left. All he had to do to save her was cut off his
hands, the devices which committed his crime. He passed the test.
My method was imperfect then, and, as I saw sin in the world, I
punished, one after the other, until I attained a result I could
be proud of. This is a perfect type of rehabilitation, Agent
Wallace. "Death cures all ills"--that's a quote my wife loved.
They say there is no known way to cure sinners, but they mean
there is no ethical way. God punishes the sinful by damning them
to eternity. I do the same, but I test them. I give them a chance
before I send their souls to hell.

WALLACE

So... you believe in hell? You were raised Catholic?

JOSEPH grins.

JOSEPH

As a matter of fact, I was, but I am an Atheist. I do what I do
because the world at large believes in a God who punishes the
wicked. I needed to be able to affect society in a way that I
could stop the evil in the world. What better than by becoming a
vigilante claiming to work on behalf of their Savior? All the
media coverage you gave me spread my ideals around rather
quickly.

WALLACE

And that's why you let us find the body in that warehouse, right?

JOSEPH

Correct...

WALLACE

What about the Grayson girl? Michelle?

INT. UNDERGROUND PASSAGE - 00 : 39 : 33

As JOSEPH is talking, MICHELLE and NIKKI are walking down a
hallway towards the exit. At the same time, Detective HALEY
enters the church. She finds an open trap door into an
underground passage. She descends the stairs.

JOSEPH (VO)

She was a sinner, like the others, but she was a special case.
Her own guilt at the pain she caused was enormous. She would feel
she deserved any physical harm she was forced to inflict. I gave
her a test, but I had to change my methods slightly to
communicate with her.

As NIKKI turns a corner, Detective HALEY appears at the foot of
the stairs. NIKKI screams something with no audio and waves the
knife. Detective HALEY pulls out a gun and fires. There is no
sound, save for Joseph's speech.

JOSEPH (VO) (CONT'D)

She seems to connect with those she harms. She punishes herself
more for the sufferring of others than she'd ever freely admit. I
needed to show her how there is a severe difference between sin
and sacrifice, between guilt and empathy.

As he is saying this, Michelle rushes out to see Detective HALEY.
The Detective tries silently to get her to drop the gun she's
raised, but Michelle shoots anyway. Detective HALEY is hit
multiple times and falls to the ground. Terrified, MICHELLE flees
up the stairs.VO continues throughout.

JOSEPH (VO) (CONT'D)

In short, she is her own test. If she can forgive herself for her
sin, God can also accept her. But, if she fails to understand the
difference between criminal act and accident, she will, in all
likelihood, crumble under the weight of sin--her's and
others'--and kill herself. As we speak, Detective Haley is
probably wandering my cavernous maze looking for Michelle. There
is a chance she will die. I'm sorry about that, Agent Wallace. I
know you two used to be partners.

HALEY is shot as JOSEPH brings her up. As Michelle climbs the
stairs,VO ends. At the top of the stairs, MICHELLE looks up. The
moonlight beams in through a broken window, and a corpse is
dressed in the robes of a priest, hanging from the rafters.
Behind that, in blood, is written "Death Cures All Ills".
MICHELLE'S eyes flood with emotion and she reaches for the figure
above her. Unconsciously, the pistol slides up to the side of her
head. The scene suddenly cuts to darkness and a GUNSHOT is heard.

PIER - EVENING

JOSEPH

Agent Wallace... I must ask you to do one more thing. I cannot be
caught. I must vanish. The things that are involved with a trial
could undermine everything I've worked towards.

WALLACE

I won't let you go. I couldn't just let you walk away, even if I
wanted to.

JOSEPH

I'm not asking you to let me go. I'm asking you to pass judgment
on me like I have on so many. It is the only way for me to find
any atonement.

WALLACE

I won't.

JOSEPH

I'm not giving you any choice. The day you murdered that rapist
here, there was a video camera, a security recording long since
removed. I managed to obtain it, but, if you arrest me, I will
show everyone. You career and your life will vanish. I've planned
my end thoroughly in my mind. I've examined every possible move.
There is no other path for me.

WALLACE

You've dedicated your life to stopping sin, and, ironically,
because of it, you're a sinner yourself. You'll go to hell, you
know that?

JOSEPH

I don't believe in hell, but I think they'll make such a place so
I can reside there in the afterlife. I'm comfortable with that-
I'm no hypocrite.

WALLACE is silent. After a restless eternity of noiselessness, he
walks towards JOSEPH, unholsters his gun, and fires in one fluid
movement. The GUNSHOT flies into the air like a final scream of
agony from the silent victim's lips. Agent WALLACE shoves JOSEPH
over the pier's edge and watches as his body and his wheelchair
are swept under the currents, buried forever in soil and sea.
Only his laptop remain, smashed after falling from the startling
convulsion of the gunshot. Agent WALLACE raises the gun to his
own head for a moment, shutting his eyes tightly, but then his
hand falls to his side and his eyes open emotionlessly. He turns
and walks back to the sillouhetted lights of the city.